Removable cover for a gun-shaped tool

Abstract: A removable cover (10) for a paint spray gun and similar tools. The cover (10) is formed into two halves (12, 13) which enclose opposite sides of the gun. A tab (34) on the front of each cover half (12, 13) is retained in a notch in the gun. Rear ends of the cover halves (12, 13) are releasable secured together by a first spring clip (44) positioned in aligned grooves (37) in the cover halves (12, 13). Ends of the cover halves which extend over a gun handle (21) are releasable secured together by a second spring clip (45) positioned in aligned grooves (40) in the cover halves (12, 13).

Description: The invention relates to a body and handle cover for a gun shaped tool according to the pre-characterising portion of claim 1, and more particularly to a removable cover for a spray gun. A removable cover of the type described in the pre-characterising portion of claim 1 is known from US-A-3799447. Paint spray guns are most commonly provided with a solid metal body and an integral handle which are bored out to form paint and air passages and chambers for a triggering mechanism and for seals. During use, paint may accumulate on the exterior of the gun. Cleaning the exterior of the gun may necessitate submersion of the entire gun in solvent. It may be necessary to partially disassemble the gun to remove trapped solvent after cleaning. Some spray guns are provided with a plastic cover which encloses a frame including a body, a handle and a portion of the trigger mechanism. The cover is secured with screws set into recessed cavities in the cover. The cover can be removed from the frame to facilitate cleaning. Once removed, the cover is easily cleaned without having to submerge the entire gun in solvent and, once cleaned, the cover is easily dried. US-A-3006560 discloses a spray gun having a two piece plastics cover which is secured to the handle by the combination of a recess provided on the handle into which an end of each piece of the plastics cover is received and by pins or screws received in holes in the cover and handle. Removing a number of screws may be time consuming and there is a risk that the small screws will be lost. On spray guns and other tools, ease of cleaning and servicing with a minimum of tools is a valued product feature. Providing a removable cover on a hand tool has an additional advantage. Tools are sometimes accidentally dropped or otherwise damaged during use. If the cover is damaged, it may be replaced. If the tool has no replaceable cover, it is necessary to construct the tool from stronger, heavier materials to reduce the risk of damage. This increases the weight of the tool which in turn increases operator fatigue during use. Accordingly, in a first aspect the present invention provides a removable cover for a gun shaped tool having a body and a handle extending from the body, comprising first and second cover halves, said cover halves having a shape and size for enclosing at least a portion of the tool body and handle when said halves are positioned together characterised in that each of said cover halves has tab means projecting from a front end portion for engaging a notch on the tool for securing said front end portions of said cover to the tool, each of said cover halves has a first groove adjacent a rear portion and a second groove adjacent an end of the handle portion, and first spring clip means is provided for positioning in said first grooves and adapted for securing the rear cover portions together, and second spring clip means is provided for positioning in said second grooves and adapted for securing together said cover handle portions. The invention is directed to an improved removable cover for enclosing at least a portion of a frame of a gun shaped tool, such as a paint spray gun. As used herein, "frame" is intended to mean an upper body, a depending handle and any attached mechanism for operating the tool. The body portion of the frame has front and rear ends. The handle typically depends from adjacent a rear end of the body. The cover is formed into two halves for enclosing opposite sides of the frame. When the cover halves are positioned together, they form an enclosed chamber for receiving the frame and are shaped to provide clearance for any enclosed moving parts, such as a triggering mechanism. Each cover half has an upper front end which covers at least a portion of the front end of the gun body, an upper rear end which covers at least a portion of the rear end of the gun body and a handle portion which covers the gun handle and terminates at a lower end. The present invention also includes a paint spray gun including a frame defining a body and a handle having a free end, a removable cover in accordance with the first aspect of this invention, arranged with its first and second cover halves enclosing at least a portion of said frame body and handle, each of said cover halves having a tab projecting from a front end portion and engaging a notch on said gun to secure said front end portion of such cover half to said gun, the first spring retainer clip being positioned in said first grooves, and said first clip holding said first end portions of said cover halves together, and the second spring retainer being positioned in said second grooves, and holding said handle end portions together. The tabs and the two spring clips releasably secure the cover halves to the gun frame. The cover halves are easily removed by hand from the gun by simply removing the two spring clips. Optionally, a small screwdriver may be used to facilitate expanding the two spring clips for removing or re-attaching the spring clips. However, no special tools are required to remove and re-attach the cover. A particular embodiment of a cover and a spray gun in accordance with this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a hand held paint spray gun having a cover according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the spray gun of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the right cover half for the spray gun of Fig. 1; Fig. 4. is a fragmentary cross sectional view as taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the lower spring clip for securing the cover to the spray gun; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view as taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a side view of the upper spring clip for securing the cover to the spray gun; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the upper spring clip of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side view of a fragmentary portion of a spray gun handle; Fig. 10 is a front view of the fragmentary handle portion of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along line 11-11 of Fig. 10; and Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 11, but showing a modified construction for the spray gun handle. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a spray gun 10 is illustrated embodying the invention. The spray gun 10 has an outer cover 11 formed from left and right halves 12 and 13, respectively. The cover 11 forms an upper body portion 14 having a front end 15 and a rear end 16 and a handle portion 17 having a lower free end 18. The cover 11 encloses a gun frame 19 which also includes a body 20 and a handle 21. An internally threaded retaining ring 22 is secured to rotate on a front end 23 of the frame body 20. A spray head 24 is releasably secured to the frame end 23 by the retaining ring 22 and an air cap 25 is secured to the spray head 24 by a retaining ring 26. A main trigger 27 is mounted on the frame body 20 to pivot towards and away from the handle portion 17. An optional auxiliary trigger 28 may be mounted on the frame body 20 adjacent the rear end 16 to pivot towards and away from a top 29 of the gun 10. The main trigger is used by an operator to control spraying when the operator grasps the handle portion 17. When spraying substantially horizontal surfaces, the operator may grasp the body portion 14 and use the auxiliary trigger 28 for controlling spraying. Paint or other fluid to be sprayed is supplied to the gun 10 through a hose 30 connected to the lower handle end 18 and compressed air is supplied through a hose 31 connected to the lower handle end 18. The discharge of fluid and air from the spray gun is controlled by valves (not shown) which are actuated by either of the triggers 27 or 28. A control knob 32 extends from the rear end 16 of the cover 11 for setting the maximum fluid flow rate when the gun 10 is triggered fully on. At least a portion of the compressed air supplied through the hose 31 is used to atomized the fluid. A portion of the air also may be discharged from the air cap 25 for controlling the pattern of the atomized fluid between a round pattern and a flattened or fan shaped pattern. A knob 33 adjusts the flow of pattern shaping air to the air cap 25 to set the pattern in a known manner. The cover 11 consists of a left half 12 which encloses the left side of the frame 19 and a right half 13 which encloses the right side of the frame 19. Details of the left half 12 are shown in Fig. 1 and details of the right half are shown in Fig. 3. A tab 34 projects from the front end 15 of the half 12 and a tab 35 projects from the front end 15 of the half 13. A groove 36 is formed in the housing half 12 and a groove 37 is formed in the housing half 13. The grooves 36 and 37 each extend partially around the rear end 16. At the top 29 of the gun 10, the grooves 36 and 37 in the two halves 12 and 13 align when the halves 12 and 13 are abutting to form a single groove 38 which extends more than 180° around the rear end 16 of the cover 11. A groove 39 is formed in the housing half 12 and a corresponding groove 40 is formed in the housing half 13 adjacent the handle end 18. When the handle halves 12 and 13 are abutting, the grooves 39 and 40 connect to form a single groove extending completely around the handle 17 adjacent the end 18. A pair of raised ribs 41 may be provided on the cover half 12 on opposite sides of the groove 39 and a pair of raised ribs 42 may be provided on the cover half 13 on opposite sides of the groove 40. In attaching the cover halves 12 and 13 to the gun frame 19, the tabs 34 and 35 are inserted into notches 43 on opposite sides of the front end 23 of the frame body 20. As shown in Fig. 4, one side of the notches 43 may be closed by the retainer ring 22. By hooking the tabs 34 and 35 into the notches 43, the front end 15 of the cover halves 12 and 13 are secured to the frame 19. The cover halves 12 and 13 are held together and an upper spring clip 44 is expanded and inserted into the groove 38, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper spring clip 44 holds the rear ends 16 of the cover halves 12 and 13 together. A lower spring clip 45 also is expanded and placed in the aligned cover grooves 39 and 40 to hold the lower ends 18 of the cover handle portion 17 together, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6. The ribs 42 and 43 help retain the lower spring clip 45 in the grooves 39 and 40. The tabs 34 and 35 and the two spring clips 44 and 45 eliminate the need for screws to secure the cover halves 12 and 13 together over the gun frame 19, while facilitating removal of the cover halves 12 and 13 for cleaning or replacement. The elimination of screws is particularly useful on tools that have multiple underlying mechanisms which require clearance for their actions. Details of the lower spring clip 45 are shown in Figs.5 and 6. The clip 45 is formed from spring wire which is shaped into a loop 46 which terminates at overlapping looped ends 47 and 48. The loop 46 has the general shape of, but normally is smaller than, the aligned grooves 39 and 40. By separating the ends 47 and 48, the loop 46 may be expanded sufficiently to permit placement of the loop 46 in the aligned grooves 39 and 40. When the ends 47 and 48 are released, the resilient clip 45 contracts to hold the cover halves together. Details of the upper spring clip 44 are shown in Figs.7 and 8. The clip 44 is formed from spring wire into a generally C-shaped body 49 which terminates at opposite free ends 50 and 51. The body 49 has the general shape of, but is normally smaller than, the groove 38. A U-shaped bend 52 may be formed in the centre of the body 49 to facilitate separating the ends 50 and 51 for placement of the clip in the groove 38. When placed in the groove 38, the clip 44 holds the adjacent portion of the cover halves 12 and 13 together. Typically, when an operator holds a spray gun in his or her hand, the lower two fingers grasp the gun handle and the upper two fingers grasp and operate the gun trigger. As illustrated in Fig. 1, a tab 55 projects forward from the gun handle 17 immediately below the path of movement of the trigger 27. The tab 55 positions the lower fingers on the handle 17 so that they do not interfere with trigger movement. For operator comfort, it is important that the cover sections or halves 12 an 13 fit tightly together at the handle 17. Because the cover halves 12 and 13 are secured together only at opposite ends of the handle 17 by the spring clips 44 and 45, it may be necessary to take additional steps to assure that the cover halves 12 and 13 tightly abut in the region of the tab 55. One technique is to mould the edges of the cover halves 12 and 13 slightly convex so that they will be slightly deflected or under stress in the region of the tab 55 when the cover halves are clamped together by the spring clips 44 and 45. Figs. 9 to 11 illustrate a second technique to assure that the cover halves 12 and 13 are held tightly together in the centre of the handle 17 and especially adjacent the tab 55. The cover halves 12 and 13 are hollow for receiving the gun frame 19. At the tab 55, a hook 56 is moulded on the cover half 12 to project into the cover half 13 and engage a groove 57. When the hook 56 engages the groove 57, the halves 12 and 13 are locked together at the tab 55. Fig. 12 illustrates a further embodiment wherein the cover halves 12 and 13 are secured together adjacent the tab 55 by a screw 58 which is recessed in a stepped hole 59 in the cover half 12 and in a stepped hole 60 in the cover half 13. However, it is preferable to avoid the use of the screw 58 to simplify assembly and disassembly of the cover halves 12 and 13. Although the removable cover was described for and is particularly useful for a paint spray gun, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the cover also is adaptable to other gun shaped tools such as pneumatic nailers and staplers. For staplers used to install carpet, for example, the removable cover may be formed from a relatively soft plastic material which will not mar walls and wood trim as the stapler is used to install carpet.

Claims: A removable cover (10) for a gun shaped tool having a body (20) and a handle (21) extending from the body (20), said cover (10) comprising first and second cover halves (12, 13), said cover halves (12, 13) having a shape and size for enclosing at least a portion of the tool body (20) and handle (21) when said halves (12, 13) are positioned together characterised in that each of said cover halves (12, 13) has tab means (34) projecting from a front end portion for engaging a notch on the tool for securing said front end portions of said cover (10) to the tool, each of said cover halves (12, 13) has a first groove (37) adjacent a rear portion and a second groove (40) adjacent an end of the handle portion, and first spring clip means (44) is provided for positioning in said first grooves (37) and adapted for securing the rear cover portions together, and second spring clip means (45) is provided for positioning in said second grooves (40) and adapted for securing together said cover handle portions. A removable cover according to claim 1, wherein each of said first grooves (37) has an end which aligns with an end of the other first groove (37) when said cover halves (12, 13) are positioned together, and wherein each of said second grooves (40) has an end which aligns with an end of the other second groove (40) when said cover halves (12, 13) are positioned together. A removable cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each second groove (40) has two ends which align with ends of the other second groove (40) when said cover halves (12, 13) are positioned together whereby said second grooves extend completely around said handle end portions. A removable cover according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each cover half (12, 13) has a pair of ridges (41, 42) formed on the handle end portion for such cover half, and wherein said second groove (40) on each cover half extends between the ridges on such cover half, whereby said ridges (41, 42) help retain said second clip means (45) in said second grooves (40). A removable cover according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first clip means (44) is formed from spring wire and has substantially the shape of at least a portion of said first grooves (37) when said cover halves (12, 13) are positioned together, said first clip means (44) having a size requiring deflection for insertion into said first grooves (37), and wherein said second clip means (45) is formed from spring wire and has substantially the shape of at least a portion of said second grooves (40) when said cover halves (12, 13) are positioned together, said second clip means (45) having a size requiring deflection for insertion into said second grooves (40). A removable cover according to any one of the preceding claims for use with a spray gun having a frame including a body (20) and a handle (21) having a free end. A paint spray gun including a frame defining a body (20) and a handle (21) having a free end, a removable cover in accordance with claim 6, arranged with its first and second cover halves (12, 13) enclosing at least a portion of said frame body (20) and handle (21), each of said cover halves (12, 13) having a tab (34) projecting from a front end portion and engaging a notch on said gun (20) to secure said front end portion of such cover half to said gun, the first spring retainer clip (44) being positioned in said first grooves (37), and said first clip (44) holding said first end portions of said cover halves (12, 13) together, and the second spring retainer clip (45) being positioned in said second grooves (40), and holding said handle end portions together. A paint spray gun according to claim 7, and further including a fluid head retainer ring (22) secured to a front end of said gun body (20), and wherein said notches for receiving said cover half tabs(34) are located between said body (20) front end and said retainer ring (22).

Inventors: WHEELER ROGER D, WHEELER, ROGER D.
Applicants: RANSBURG CORP, RANSBURG CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B25F5
IPC codes: B05B15, B25F5